Local Kitchen And Beer Bar: A Contemporary, Comfortable Spot

The lobster and waffles ($9/$18) is glistening morsels and a claw of butter-poached lobster on on sweet cornbread waffles in buttery sauce.

The lobster and waffles ($9/$18) is glistening morsels and a claw of butter-poached lobster on on sweet cornbread waffles in buttery sauce. (Elizabeth Keyser, Special To The Courant)

ELIZABETH KEYSERSpecial To The Courant

Local Kitchen and Beer Bar a place for friends to grab a bite or nurse one of the 30 drafts

Local Kitchen and Beer Bar is drawing locals. A super-relaxed atmosphere is tucked into the Sportsplex behind downtown Fairfield's Post Road. At certain hours, local kids climb the high-topped benches. But after the kids' hours pass, the staff sweeps under their messy tables, and an adult crowd eases in.

Housed in a renovated former rubber factory, Local's brick walls soar to three-story level, and an enormous modern industrial ceiling fan spins. A second story mezzanine bridges the spaces. At ground level, sitting around the u-shaped bar are comfortable locals. This is a place for friends to grab a bite or nurse one of the 30 drafts, including local brews.

The menu's full range of contemporary food comes in two sizes, "little" or "lots." Because it was developed by Dan Kardos, who is no longer with the restaurant group (there's another Local Kitchen in SoNo), the menu, which bore logos for Connecticut Grown, Certified Sustainable Seafood, Pineland Farms and Harvest New England, has some gems.

Kardos has left his culinary mark on the menu with lobster and waffles ($9/$18): glistening morsels and a claw of butter-poached lobster rested on melting soft ribbons of leek on sweet cornbread waffles in buttery sauce.

Shrimp "burger" sliders ($8/$19) would tempt me again: deep-fried, panko-crusted and springy patties of blended shrimp on soft potato buns with a punch from pickled peppers and chili aoli. The fresh leaf of lettuce was organic.

The Craftbowl section of the menu is all things to all people who love to eat from bowls, mushroom risotto, a "hippie bowl" of quinoa, tofu, kale, and — rather surprisingly — a bowl of pho made with pork instead of the traditional beef.

The classic burger ($11), made with New England sustainably raised beef, was served on a locally made, grilled brioche bun. The well-proportioned burger, served medium rare as requested, was seasoned well and topped with a carefully sliced tomato that fit the juicy burger perfectly. The burger came with a choice of fries or salad, and the salad was plentiful and had the welcome gusto of fresh lettuce prepared in-house (rather than wimpy mesclan from a bag).

Beer cocktails blend craft beer with the craft cocktails. I tried a thick, rich potent brew of hoppy IPA, a dark distilled spirit and blood orange juice. The blood orange was a sweet note before the dry, bitter finish of the beer.

>>Local Kitchen and Beer Bar, 85 Mill Plain Road, Fairfield, is open Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, 11:30 to 10 p.m Information: 203-955-1919 and Fairfieldlocal.com (Local Kitchen also has a South Norwalk location).